Aerial Imagery

November 24, 2009 12:17 AM

Scotland's National Collection of Aerial Photography includes a plethora of pictures of Scotland, notably Edinburgh and Glasgow, seen from above, many dating back to WWII. But there are also photographs of wartime European cities and images of elsewhere from the Aerial Reconnaissance Archives.
posted by Lezzles (4 comments total)

Nice shots, but it's hard to see the shots since they are only small size samples.
posted by smcniven at 4:55 AM on November 24, 2009

Indeed, beautiful shots, too bad they don't get larger than the previews. I feel spoiled by California Coastal Records Project, though the goal is wholly different (archiving aerial imagery, and protecting the California Coastline through providing a record of how it used to be). The latter isn't always as scenic as you'd imagine, though there are definitely some key shots, and I'm rather fond of the 1979 shots.

I'd love to visit the collection, though it sounds as if it's not so much a stop for casual tourists, and more of a research resource. Regardless, it's another reason to visit Scotland.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:08 AM on November 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

The photos are too wee.
posted by the cuban at 11:45 AM on November 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

Neat link, but I'll echo other's comments re disappointment at the lack of high-res images online -- when I saw the link I assumed that was the draw.
My dad was a darkroom specialist for an air reconnaissance squadron during WWII, operating for the most part from eastern France (Nancy). We still have some old prints of German railyards (complete with craters); they are the most razor-sharp printed photographs I've ever seen, and I've seen more than my share of large-format photography. You can use a loupe to peer into detail in these prints that you just can't pull out by eye; it's like a real-life version of Google Maps.
posted by $0up at 11:47 AM on November 24, 2009